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Branson 'determined' to find cause of spaceship crash

MOJAVE, Calif -- Federal investigators are sifting through the wreckage of the private Virgin Galactic spaceship a day after the craft exploded and broke apart mid-flight, killing one pilot and seriously

Branson 'determined' to find cause of spaceship crash

NTSB officials arrived at the Virgin Galactic spaceship crash site Saturday to conduct an investigation.
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This three image combo photo shows the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo rocket separating from the carrier aircraft, left, prior to it exploding in the air, right, during a test flight on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014. The rocket exploded during a test flight, killing one pilot aboard and seriously injuring another while scattering wreckage in Southern California's Mojave Desert, witnesses and officials said.(Photo: Kenneth Brown, AP)

Federal investigators are sifting through the wreckage of a private Virgin Galactic spaceship a day after the craft exploded and broke apart midflight, killing one pilot and seriously injuring the other.

MOJAVE, Calif. — Federal investigators are sifting through the wreckage of a private Virgin Galactic spaceship a day after the craft exploded and broke apart midflight during the test of a new fuel, killing one pilot and seriously injuring the other.

The two pilots were the sole occupants of the SpaceShipTwo, which was in the testing phases to bring commercial spaceflight to tourists. The craft was carried aloft by an airplane on Friday and then dropped as part of a test flight.

The federal investigation into the crash could take as long as 12 months National Transportation Safety Board acting head Christopher Heart said in a press conference Saturday night.

"We are determined to find out what went wrong," said Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson — the British billionaire and adventurer who has become the public face of the space venture — at a Saturday press conference.

In a statement posted on his website, Branson added: "In testing the boundaries of human capabilities and technologies, we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Yesterday, we fell short."

Witnesses said it appears the pilots had just ignited the rocket motor around 10 a.m. PT Friday when their craft exploded. One pilot parachuted to safety but was seriously injured, authorities said. The other pilot was killed and his body recovered from the wreckage in the Mojave Desert near the Mojave Air & Space Port.

The test was the fourth powered flight for the rocket-glider but the first using a new fuel. SpaceShipTwo, also known as VSS Enterprise, had last flown under its own power in January.

The National Transportation Safety Board brought in more than a dozen investigators to analyze what went wrong, officials said at a morning briefing from the space port. Investigators planned second briefing for 8 p.m. PT Saturday.

Branson said he'd wait to hear from the NTSB before offering details on the crash. He slammed what he called "slightly irresponsible" speculation from people who have no access to the facts, but the usually flamboyant adventurer sounded decidedly hesitant about the future of the project.

Asked twice about the future of Virgin Galactic's plans to send people into space for a fee of up to $250,000, Branson took a long pause before answering.

"It's fair to say all 400 engineers who work here and most people in the world would love to see the dream living on," he said. "We owe it to our pilots."

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board arrive before dawn at the Mojave Air and Space Port in Mojave, Calif. on Nov. 1, 2014, to investigate the fatal crash of the Virgin Galactic spaceship. The crash was the second disaster to rock the private space industry in the space of a few days after an Antares rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station exploded after take-off in Virginia in Tuesday.(Photo: JOSH EDELSON, AFP/Getty Images)

"We hope that one day the test pilots will enable people to go to space safely," Branson added. "We would love to finish what we started some years ago. ... This is the start of a long program."

Branson left the press conference to speak with about 400 members of the Virgin Galactic team, along with employees of Scaled Composites, the company that designed and built the spaceship and was conducting the test.

In a typical NTSB investigation, staff members collect pieces of the craft and reassemble them in a hangar. The engines will be inspected for any failures, and data collected during the flight will also be analyzed.

SpaceShipTwo was 60 feet long and made largely of composite materials, which are lighter than steel.

Virgin Galactic has collected more than $70 million in deposits from more than 580 would-be astronauts, and Branson said those who want refunds would be able to get them. But he said the vast majority of space tourists were intent on taking their flights, and he said a new customer paid the required deposit after the Friday crash as a show of support.

Branson initially made his name as an entrepreneur who ignored traditional business models and processes, often taking a risk-first approach by being willing to make mistakes and then learn quickly from them. His companies range from airlines to record labels.

In a posting on the Virgin Galactic hiring site, managers said they recognized their efforts were "both audacious and incredibly ambitious. We will make history by creating access to space for all people. We know that achieving our mission will require highly unusual levels of tenacity and dedication."

They added: "Although our mission is bold we are humbled by the awesomeness and wonders of Space. Any egos are checked at the door. We know our success will be a function of the strength of our ingenuity and the quality of our execution. So we obsess over safety. Safety is our North Star."

Billionaire Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson salutes the bravery of test pilots, and vows to find out what caused the crash of his prototype space tourism rocket that killed one crew member and injured another during a news conference in Mojave, Calif. Brian Melley, AP

An image from video shot by KABC TV in Los Angeles shows wreckage of what is believed to be SpaceShipTwo in California's Mojave Desert. The space tourism rocket exploded during a test flight. KABC TV via AP

ORG XMIT: NY124 In this photo released by Virgin Galactic, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo, or VSS Enterprise, glides toward the earth on its first test flight after release from the mothership, WhiteKnight2, also known as VMS Eve, over the Mojave, Calif., area early Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010. SpaceShipTwo is undergoing rigorous testing before it can carry tourists to space. In the latest test, SpaceShipTwo did not fire its rocket engine to climb to space. The craft was piloted by engineer and test pilot Pete Siebold from Scaled Composites. (AP Photo/Clay Observatory for Virgina Galactic, Mark Greenberg) NO SALES Mark Greenberg, Virgin Galactic, via AP

(FILES) This January 23, 2008 file photo shows Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, poses with a model of the SpaceShipTwo on Jan. 23, 2008, at the America Museum of Natural History in New York. Stan Honda, AFP/Getty Images